FFX 3: Preaching Armageddon
by Faded Visage
Summary: After Yuna's death, Sadye flees to Kilika, where Rikku has set up a base of operations since her exile from the Al Bhed tribal union. In Besaid, Nooj has begun plans to create a Yunaworshipping movement meant to challenge New Yevon and take back mainland
1. Chapter 1

Walking across the rope bridge connecting the _Gullwing _to the tower of one of the new buildings in Kilika, Bilal took in the sight of the growing town. What had once reached the size of a minor city had been burned to the ground almost one and a half years before was built back up. Though it had not reached its previous size and it was far from independent, Kilika was now in good shape. Unfortunately, the only reason the Kilikans were able to rebuild and stay out of the grasp of the New Yevon regime that was quickly solidifying its hold on Spira was the fact that the _Gullwing_ and its crew of now-exiled Al Bhed defended the island fiercely.

Rikku had returned to the Islands after bombarding Bevelle in retribution for the execution of her beloved cousin, Yuna. The majority of the fleet had dismissed themselves from duty prior to that event and had returned home to express their dislike for Rikku and her lack of command talent. Enough of them had protested for the Council to remove Rikku from command of the Al Bhed fleet, despite her father's efforts to protect her position. The girl had refused to leave the _Gullwing _and was ordered, under penalty of exile, to return the ship to the Islands and disband the crew and marines that had remained onboard. Instead, she left, turning her back on the Al Bhed and their home. The hundreds of men that had gone with her, too, gave up their past lives out of loyalty to her.

Bilal, a man who had lost most of his family at Home and lost his surviving brother on one of the ships at Bevelle, had no doubts about his decision. For the better part of a year, the man had overseen the defense of Kilika from New Yevon raiders. He had even worked out a system of military service for the residents of the town; all able-bodied men and any women that had no children were immediately enlisted when their scout ship brought in reports of an incoming fleet. It was a fortunate that no fleet had been big. The _Gullwing _had so many open jobs onboard that required little or no mechanical skill that the Kilikans easily made the ship battle-worthy.

As Rikku's executive officer, almost everything was his responsibility. The girl had not even set foot on the enormous ship in over a month. She spent most of her time in a hovel on the edge of the jungle and she rarely accepted visitors. Bilal had not spoken with her in two weeks; the last time they spoke, it was a quick affair consisting of his dropping on her bed a casualty report from the previous attack.

Proceeding across the bridge to the tower, Bilal met one of the newcomers from Luca. A small force of Crusaders had accompanied some civilians fleeing from the Yevon-occupied mainland. In just barely more than a year, New Yevon had tightened its grasp on Spira, determined not to let it go as easily as its predecessor had. The leadership of the religion, now democratic in an attempt to put distance between them and the dictating Maesters, made endless promises to make up for the corruption that had infected the order, distorted the teachings and turned them into falsities.

"Sir, we were, uh, wondering about living arrangements. There isn't enough room in the town for us and the temple just isn't built to hold refugees," said the Crusader, walking with the Al Bhed back down the ramps to the base of the tower.

Bilal bit his bottom lip in thought, trying to come up with an answer quickly. He was good at making fast decisions, even if they were only temporary solutions. "See if anyone wants to stay on-ship permanently. I want Crusaders on the ground, though, in case raiders circle the island and land."

The Crusader nodded as he stepped off the final incline, "Yes, sir." He kept walking, away from Bilal, before he remembered the second issue he was supposed to bring up. He turned quickly and ran back to the Al Bhed, yelling, "One more thing, sir!"

Bilal turned, eyebrows raised slightly, "Hmm?"

"Cala wants to talk to you about some of the _Gullwing_'s combat machina after her class is over. One dropped through a weak platform into the shallows and shorted, almost killed the pilot."

Nodding, the man touched the Crusader's shoulder, "Thanks. Now, get on adjusting living arrangements." Bilal stood on the sand as the Crusader saluted and jogged off down the main platform toward one of the communal lodges. Calling after him, he yelled, "Get a party together to find something edible in the jungle."

The Crusader stopped and turned around, yelling back, "Will do, sir!"

"Preferably something meaty."

Saluting once more, the man returned to his journey to the nearby wooden hut.

Bilal shook his head, remembering the last time Al Bhed and Crusader had worked together. _To think that we'd try it again after the outcome of the alliance against Sin. _He shrugged. _They are good workers, though, I'll give them that._

A boom resonated through the air, causing Bilal to duck slightly and turn toward the direction the sound came from. Smoke rose from one of the machina lifters that had been carrying a heavy cargo of building lumber destined to be a new home for one of the Kilika families. Electricity jumped between the parts of the machina, frying some of the inner components; the wooden boards beneath it were streaked with black. The Al Bhed that had been directing it jumped away and rolled on the ground, smothering some small flames that had attacked his clothing. He cursed loudly in the Al Bhed language.

Bilal took a deep breath and closed his eyes. _One thing at a time. _It took a moment before he realized how much he loathed that saying. It was meaningful but it was also the motto of New Yevon. They believed that a slow evolution of the customs of Spira was the only way to prevent anarchy. The group had gone so far as to blame all of the difficulties in Spira on the chaos the Yuna's brief reign had promoted. With so many Spirans being sheep, they were quick to accept what the new regime said.

Striding down one of the wooden docks that had survived the burning of the village over a year before, Bilal watched a group of young men on a small protrusion of beach going through a lesson in a martial art that was taught to all Al Bhed during their childhood. Teaching the class was his blonde assistant Cala, one of the most proficient people in that particular art. He could tell they were a new class and had no knowledge of Cala; his subordinate was of a smaller build than most hand-to-hand combat veterans were stereotyped as being and her soft, high voice gave an impression of innocence and even helplessness. Though lacking great strength, she was fast and agile and she knew how to cause the most damage in as little time as possible. The class seemed entirely undisciplined and lacked a proper respect for their instructor. Bilal laughed quietly to himself, knowing that would soon change.

He moved farther down the docks to where a crew of Al Bhed and Kilikans were toweling themselves off with their now-stripped shirts. Kilika was extremely hot in the afternoon and it, understandably, was even worse when doing manual labor. This particular group was building another small lodge to help ease the crowding in the town. Though refugees from the mainland only rarely made it to the island, they tended to arrive in large numbers and had to be given shelter in family homes.

"It's looking good," Bilal said in Al Bhed.

Looking up at him, the Al Bhed workers voiced their thanks. The Kilikans just looked at each other, unsure of what to say or think. They had no idea what he said and probably never would. The coded language was easy to learn and understand but nobody seemed to be able to figure that out until they had actually learned it.

Knowing there would be no response from the Kilikans, Bilal continued down the docks. Though he appeared as though he had a destination, he did not. He was not in the frame of mind to deal with the problems with the old machina that had been locked in the holds of the _Gullwing_, unused and without maintenance since before the mammoth ship had been found by the Al Bhed in an isolated fjord. Being a better mechanic than he was, Cala should have taken responsibility for the machina from him.

"I guess I should tell her that. Probably now, too, so I can avoid having to listen to her complaints," he said aloud. He liked Cala but there were times when he wanted to tell her to shut up and solve something for herself. If she had one fault is was that she was usually unwilling to take action without instruction from her superiors.

"What, sir?" asked a nearby Crusader who was standing in the doorway of one of the communal lodges.

Bilal turned his head quickly, "Huh? Oh, nothing, I was just… nothing."

The Crusader looked at him oddly before nodding, saluting quickly, and moving inside the hut.

Spinning around on his heel, the Al Bhed ran back down the docks to where Cala was teaching her class. He stood on the wooden platform a few meters from the beach and watched the instruction for a few moments.

Cala slapped the shoulder of the man in front of her and took a step back, waving him forward. The man threw a punch at her and she ducked, slamming her hand up into the man's wrist. She was quick to pull her fist away and grab his wrist with her other hand, yanking him forward as she spun around fluidly and rolled the man over her back. He flew up into the air and fell to the ground in front of her. The man lay there for a second, dazed. Cala knelt down over him and whispered something before standing, taking his hand and hauling him up.

"You can't move so slowly and you can't expect to knock your opponent out of action in one hit. Do not put so much force into a punch without leaving the rest of your body defended. Any trained fighter knows how to use your momentum against you. The only power I used was hitting his wrist. His own drive carried over me and onto the ground where I could have easily dispatched him," Cala lectured. She spotted Bilal at the edge of her vision and turned to face him. She said in Al Bhed, "Commander!"

Bilal raised his eyebrows and spoke so the students could understand, "Very good. Under your teaching, these men will be great additions to our defense force."

Cala smiled at him warmly and abstained from using the Al Bhed language, "Thank you, sir."

"I need to take you away from your class for a moment."

Cala nodded and turned back to her trainees. In a commanding tone, she said, "Lino, lead exercises while I'm away."

The two Al Bhed moved a good distance away from the class and spoke in their tongue.

"I was told you needed to talk to me about the machina problems we've been having." Bilal held a finger up to stop her from talking as he continued, "I have a lot of responsibility here. Hells, I've been taking care of everything for the past few months. I want you to take full charge of everything to do with both teaching these classes and anything to do with machina and ship maintenance."

"But, sir, I… I need to make sure everything fits your plans," Cala bit her lip, not wishing for complete responsibility for anything.

"No, Cala," he said sharply. "You're taking command of it and that's final. I do too much for you to even _think_ about declining a request. It's bad enough that Rikku is making me do everything, I do _not_ need you begging off."

Cala's lip quivered slightly. Bilal's harsh tone had cut into her and she could not stand to make angry those close her. She had always had problems with depression when she made people mad at her. "But… I…," she could not voice what she wanted to say. She did not know what she wanted to say.

"No, Cala. It's yours now, not mine. You need to stop relying on me to tell you your decisions are fine. Get back to your class and I don't want you to protest at all. Ever."

The girl nodded and sniffed, trying not to cry. Bilal looked at her and touched her cheek. He lifted her chin slightly and looked into her green eyes.

"I'm not mad at you, Cala. I just need a break. You understand, right? It's not your fault. If anything, it's mine… or Rikku's."

The young woman stared back at him in silence for a moment. "Yes, sir."

Bilal moved his thumb across her lips, wiping away a droplet of blood. He wiped it off on his sleeve before reaching out and brushing a loose strand of hair back behind her ear. He smiled at her kindly, "Fix yourself back up and get back to teaching. You have to whip those boys into proper fighters."

Cala smiled back at him and nodded, "Yes, sir, I won't let you down."

"I know you won't." Bilal touched her shoulder lightly before turning from her and walking away.

The blonde-haired woman stood watching him walk away, still smiling affectionately. She licked her lips, tasting the slight flavor his skin had left there. She reached up and wiped her eyes, sniffed, and took a deep breath. Turning, she yelled at her class, "Five laps, up to the temple and back. You have twenty minutes!"

The class groaned, causing Cala to change her orders, "Make that fifteen minutes. Now, go!"

The group took off at a quick jog, not knowing that it was nearly impossible to make five laps up all those steps to the temple in fifteen minutes. Cala would penalize them for not succeeding; the punishment would be worse than normal due to her recent upsetting by Bilal.

* * *

A small boat approached Kilika, making a straight run for the town. The _Gullwing_ shielded all of the settlement but she knew that. With a boat so small, she would not be attacked upon approach; all she had to do was cooperate and allow any and all security checks and she would be allowed into the town. Perhaps invoking Rikku's name would even get her a direct audience with the young Al Bhed woman.

Her eyes brightened as she remembered the sphere she was carrying with her. Reaching behind her, she took the blue sphere from her satchel and ran her fingers over it, trying to decide whether she should play it once more or not. She had watched it regularly, no less than once a week. It was short but it was also one of the few physical memories of Yuna.

Her finger played over the start key. Chewing gently on her cheek, eyebrows arching upward, she pressed the button.

The sphere flared to life, beginning with the picture of two women holding each other. From out of the scene, a blonde girl rushed forward and jumped onto the back of one of the women. She ran around in circles with the girl clinging to her giggling.

Closing her eyes, the woman decided she did not want to watch it anymore. Every time she saw it, it left her with an empty feeling in her chest, as though her heart had been torn out and the only thing she had left was a dark cavity.

_"That no way to treat a friend, yah? C'mon, make up and all be good."_

_"Make up?"_

She shook her head and quickly hit the stop button before the next scene could be heard. The woman reached up and mopped at her eyes with her sleeve. Looking around, she noticed two small boats, each just barely bigger than her own, approaching her. She put the sphere back in her bag and clasped the staff Nirvana to the top, ready to go ashore. Standing slowly, she raised her hands so the incoming people could see that she was not armed.

The boats closed on her quickly and she was met by several gun barrels leveled at her. None of the men spoke for several long moments, but they seemed to be scanning her small boat. Without her consent, two jumped aboard her vessel and seized her rather roughly. She stood still as they patted her down; even though their hands moved over her, over her most personal areas, she let them continue, determined to cooperate fully. Spotting a somewhat attractive female Crusader hop onto her boat, she wished the newcomer had been the person to check her for weapons. At least then she might have enjoyed it a little.

"You look familiar. What's your name?" asked the woman.

"I'm Sadye Vuillemot of Bevelle."

The Crusader waved away the two men searching her and the boat. "Ladyship? Oh, oh wow. You have no idea what a blessing this is. We had taken you for dead along with," she stopped and swallowed, "along with Yuna and Commandant Nooj."

"Well, I made it out."

"What of Nooj? Did he make it, too?" the woman asked hopefully.

Sadye shook her head, "I… I don't think I can talk about this now. Please take me to Rikku. I need to talk to her."

The Crusader nodded and took her hand. "Yes, of course. I'll take you to her myself. Please come this way." The woman took her to the side of one of the ships, where a rope ladder was lowered so they could easily climb aboard. "We'll tow your boat in with the second ship. Ours are faster."

Getting into Kilika had proven easier than she had expected. She had anticipated being met by Al Bhed who, in all likelihood, would not be able to identify her, not even once her name was given. Her few Al Bhed contacts were among the council that led the secluded people; she knew the Council of Tribes had exiled Rikku from the Islands, so the odds of one of her contacts being with her were essentially zero.

The Crusaders hurried her to the shore and were quick to show her the way to the hovel Rikku had spent most of her time in during the last few months. Standing outside, Sadye ran her fingers through her hair and straightened her clothing. She did not know why she bothered trying to make herself more presentable; it was not as though Rikku would think differently of her or even notice that her hair was tousled and blouse wrinkled.

Sadye tapped lightly on the door but heard no answer. She waited for a few moments before trying again, knocking the wood harder the second time.

From inside, she heard a distant, "If you're not Bilal, go away."

She put her hand on the door handle and pushed inward slowly. The door creaked as it swung open.

"What is…it…," Rikku stopped as she saw that it was not Bilal. It took a few seconds for her to recognize who it was. "Sadye?"

The dark-haired woman nodded, "Rikku."

Jumping off the bed and rushing into Sadye's arms, the girl started crying. "I thought you were gone, too. I thought you left me."

Sadye ran her hands over Rikku's back and up over her shoulders. She slowly rested her palms on each of the girl's cheeks and kissed the tip of her nose. "I'm sorry, Rikku. I tried my hardest to get us out of the city, I really did."

She pressed her forehead to the younger woman's and stared into her jade eyes. Tears streamed from them as Rikku sobbed. She lifted her head a little, brushed her lips just above the girl's eyebrow and started crying as well. They stood in the middle of the hut, Rikku's head pressed to the Sadye's upper chest, vulnerable.


	2. Chapter 2

"I hate her with a passion," Faustin Ruehling said casually. "I hate her more than I hated that heathen bitch Yuna. At least Yuna had a sense of decency and modesty. She wasn't a backstabbing harlot."

Linnea, his mistress, stood nearby, listening to Faustin's griping. She had originally chosen him for both his personality and his attractiveness, but it seemed as though all he did was complain since he had left Bevelle and, though stunning, his looks were not enough to keep her around all by themselves. "She's the reason you're as powerful as you are. Without her, Yuna would still be in power and probably would have cracked down on everything illegal you did."

"No, she wouldn't have. As long as Tayja was telling her what to do, I was fine. I may have disliked her, but Tayja was good to my business. Money can get her to do anything."

Faustin stood up and walked to the edge of the roof veranda. He looked over Zanarkand, taking note of the impressive pace at which his workers attempted to rebuild the city. With his limited number of followers, it was hard to clean up and repair the ancient ruins, but he—and many of his people—found something spiritual about restoring the city. It was, after all, the birthplace of their religion.

"Linnea, you know the history of this city, right?"

Linnea came to his side and leaned against the railing, the calm wind blowing her hair back slightly. "It was destroyed by Sin a thousand years ago, I know. Lady Yunalesca resided here before she was murdered by the Heathens."

Below the tower, men were working on tearing down the remnants of a building that was not restorable. Faustin hated when things had to be torn down; it was destroying that sacred city, not rebuilding. Sometimes destruction had to come before creation, though, and he knew that. Still, there was something unsettling about it. He had a fear of unearthing some kind of divine punishment.

"There is so much more to it than that, Linnea. A thousand years ago, Bevelle and Zanarkand were at war and Bevelle's machina decimated the Zanarkand army and then invaded. That was when Yu Yevon created Sin to punish the Bevellians and he destroyed Zanarkand to keep it from their hands," Faustin said. He was a very knowledgeable man, having studied history with several learned scholars. "If I rebuild Zanarkand and Leblanc decides I am a threat, she'll try to take the city from me. If she does, it won't end that way again. I won't let it end that way."

"Bevelle is far too strong. It always has been and it will continue to be. No time in history has it not been the power of Spira. I don't see why you would even think about becoming independent. We're all on the same side. Yevon wills us to be united."

"He also wills us to follow his teachings but that didn't work out so well the last time, did it? What makes you think she cares about unity, anyway?" He thought back to some of the things Leblanc had changed, "She enjoys deception and having people wrapped around her finger. Why do you think she abdicated and installed a ruling council? What did she call it…a democracy?"

"Maybe she wanted power in the hands of the people after the Maesters of Yevon corrupted the teachings."

Faustin laughed out loud, "She doesn't give a fuck about Yevon, scripture, or the people. The Praetor of the council is just her puppet."

"I think it's disturbing that you have so little faith in her," Linnea said, growling.

Faustin snarled back at her, "I think it's disturbing that you'd argue against me on her behalf."

Appearing indignant, Linnea pushed off the railing and ran to the door to go back inside. Faustin did not turn to watch her leave; she had gone too far in defending Leblanc. Perhaps it was finally time to get rid of her, just as he had with his previous relations.

* * *

Besaid was always no larger than a hamlet. Being a small island on the outskirts of Spira, it never had the chance to grow very large; there was not much incentive to visit Besaid except in the days of Summoners and their Pilgrimage. The town had always been a group of circular tents of skins stretched over pole frames. The only permanent building was the temple at the back of the village. 

Now, Besaid was a refuge and its population had doubled at the very least. It may have been a small island, but it was far away from the New Yevonite mainland as the refugees could get, as far as they knew. Many of those who had fled New Yevon had brought with them no supplies and a few even lacked skills necessary to keep the village from overcrowding and starving. The task to delegate responsibilities was passed to Lulu, who had become the leader of the town in Wakka's absence. Though quiet and mostly unassuming, her manner of speech and stance made her almost impossible to refuse. When she gave someone an order, it was carried out as quickly as it could be.

Though she had a remarkable ability to keep the newcomers in line and even terrify them if need be, she did not want to be the village's leader; it was not a job for her, it was a job for someone younger who had not experienced what she had.

The sphere recording of Yuna's execution had been copied and dispersed throughout New Yevon-controlled Spira. One of the refugees had brought a copy they had gotten their hands on and immediately handed it over to Lulu, not because she had any relation to Yuna, but because the man had wanted to spread the news. It was something that Lulu would have preferred to keep away from the natives of Besaid for as long as possible. Though Yuna had rarely visited Besaid once she took power away from the defunct religion, all of the people there still had their special connection to her. She was like a little sister to Lulu and many of the other, older men and women in the town. To the elders, she had been like a daughter; some of the little girls had thought of her like a big sister, as well had some of the youngest boys. The hamlet was tiny and everybody had had a close bond to everybody else. The news had been devastating to all of the people who had known Yuna personally, before she had defeated Sin and Yevon.

Though someone younger had not arrived to take the reins from Lulu, someone better skilled had; the red-clad, former Crusader known as Nooj. He had reached Besaid alone just a few weeks after the first anniversary of Yuna's death. Lulu was partially relieved that Sadye Vuillemot had not made it to Besaid with Nooj. She had never been fond of the girl Yuna had befriended and made her prime counsel after the woman had saved her life. The circumstances of their meeting had been suspicious, though Lulu never found out what exactly it was that bothered her.

Nooj was quick to assemble the people in Besaid, hoping to give a speech that would stir their passions. He was a very charismatic man and could no doubt make himself the head of the Besaid; Lulu had no problems with that. She would give him help doing so if it meant she no longer had to deal with such things.

The man limped out of the temple to the top of the small flight of steps. Gathered below him was the majority the population of the Besaid—only the refugees, however; the Besaidians did not care for unnecessary pomp. His one leg supported all of his weight as the metal one was not in good condition anymore. Leaning heavily on a cane held in his left hand, he gazed out across the faces of those gathered before him.

"New Yevon has sought to hide the truth, just as the temples did before them. Now, the hidden truths are not just of Yevon, but also of our High Summoner Yuna. They attacked Bevelle, murdered our comrades, and executed our Priestess." Nooj paused for a moment to let his words sink in before continuing, "Now they seek complete control over Spira just as the temples had. They will oppress us and force us to their beliefs. They will destroy all memory of our great Summoner and Priestess who brought us this Eternal Calm. We can't allow that to happen.

"I propose a united league of the youth of Spira to oppose New Yevon and their sad devotion to ancient tradition. Together, we can defend Besaid and then move to liberate the rest of Spira in the name of High Summoner Yuna."

The people in the crowd stirred and whispered back and forth. Nooj knew he had their attention and there seemed to be little disagreement. Perhaps if he linked it to Yuna herself, the idea would become firmly planted and his vision could begin to take shape.

He took deep breath before speaking again. "Yuna had wished that the children of Spira would take her Calm and use it to make Spira new and better. That means without Yevon corrupting it. She told me once that she wanted this to happen by any means necessary. Because of that, I will create this Youth League to oppose Yevon on all fronts: socially, spiritually and militarily. We are defended by Kilika and we have the means to create a force capable of striking back against New Yevon. All we need is a leader."

Nooj looked over to where Lulu was standing apart from the rest of the crowd. All eyes turned to her, waiting for her response.

"I will not," Lulu said firmly. She glanced at Nooj with her eyes narrowed. After a few moments of silence, she turned to the pavilion in which she resided and closed the cloth flap behind her.

"Though I hesitate to take on such a responsibility...if no one else will, then I will lead this new league against Yevon. My time as the prime advisor of the High Summoner has made me capable and I know her contacts within the Al Bhed. With their help, we can forge a strong economic and military union to rival New Yevon."

It did not take any more than that for the crowd to cheer for Nooj's grand decision in memory of their beloved High Summoner and Priestess. Nooj smiled and turned to hobble back inside the temple. As he walked, he thought, _I can play these people's beliefs and turn Yuna into something far greater than she ever was. I can preserve her memory and use it to build a Spira without Yevon and their foolish scripture._

* * *

_____  
_The Al Bhed had been split apart by the Council's decision to exile Rikku and the small group that had remained with her. Many of the Al Bhed had left their new home on the archipelago and returned to Bikanel Island, working to build another Home. The Machine Faction, as they called themselves, involved themselves in Spiran society, offering to teach more Spirans about the once-outlawed machina. They abandoned the word "machina," however, in favor of "machine," hoping that those who still clung to their Yevon anti-machina beliefs would accept them. Even after six years without the old Yevon, many were still wary of machines; New Yevon did not help matters much. 

The Machine Faction Al Bhed were sure that they would soon flourish, now that Bikanel was open to travelers. Anyone could go to Bikanel and learn more about machines or even buy them. No one knew more about such devices than the Al Bhed, not even the most brilliant Spiran researchers. Their unnatural abilities with machines made them a unique asset to many.

It was because of their talents that Nooj was quick to enlist their aid. Though they refused to actively participate in whatever he had planned for Spira and New Yevon, his offer to buy both defensive and offensive machines was irresistible.

The leader of the new Machine Faction, Gippal, was a man who had loathed Rikku ever since she had taken command of the Al Bhed fleet from him. Once he had gained the support in the Council to exile her, he had also demanded that the Al Bhed return to their home and no longer abandon the ways of their ancestors. His group of followers had left the Islands, leaving behind just enough people to continue to spread his message and recruit more Al Bhed youth. Gippal was sure that Cid would try to get the rest of the Council to let Rikku rejoin the Al Bhed, but he did not care anymore. The Al Bhed rarely accepted a decision just to go back on it later, anyway; Cid may have had influence, but he knew how their politics worked. The entire Council would fight him because they could not afford to be proven to have made a bad decision.

Gippal smiled whenever he thought about that. Cid would lose power if he tried anything and Rikku had already been cast out from Al Bhed society; he had accomplished what he had wanted to. Now, the only thing to worry about was the Machine Faction and their business.

The Al Bhed administrators worked endlessly on schedules for training, making sure that no people of conflicting beliefs were in the same area at the same time. They arranged work details made up of Al Bhed and Spirans to excavate the desert in search of new machine parts, as well. The Machine Faction, though only half of a year old, was beginning to prosper. They had yet to create a permanent settlement, though.

Seeking to reap more profit from Nooj and the newly forming Youth League, Gippal convinced them to send twenty members for formal training with machines. It would cost them but he assured them that it would be well worth the asking price. As compelling as Nooj could be, he was not a business leader and accepted Gippal's offer with little hesitation; it was surprisingly out of character for him, but the Al Bhed did not look into it. Success was success, no matter how unexpected.

As a military force, the Machine Faction was strong enough to defend itself and conduct raids but there was no way, at its current strength, it could afford to defend more territory than Bikanel. According to their vast spy net, New Yevon had the same problem of manpower; they could barely afford to protect more than just their two key cities and Guadosalam. The Youth League had little in the way of military force, as well, but they were completely new and it was difficult to determine how long that would last.

Being neutral, Gippal hoped to maintain a good relationship with both the Youth League and New Yevon. He knew Nooj and the current Praetor of Yevon, Baralai, very well and had had a good relationship with Baralai since the days the Sin. Nooj was a new acquaintance, but they had gotten off on the right foot. The Machine Faction would prosper under the Gippal's abilities to make and maintain alliances.

If all went well, then Gippal would not only bring glory to the Al Bhed, but also gather enough gil and military force to get rid of Rikku. He did not want to stop at merely insulting the girl, he wanted her _Gullwing_; he had no qualms about killing her in order to get it.


End file.
